Wednesday March 12, 2008

 

 

Alaska Memories

Day 12 – August 4, 2003

  

When visiting Alaska, it is difficult to pick a highlight, however, this day was one of them.

 

The evening before, we noticed this sign, and signed up for a bear-watching flight to Katmai National Park and Preserve.

 

 

A good view of Homer Spit – where our camper was parked.

 

 

A wider view of the Spit and surrounding area.

 

 

During the one-hour flight we saw a volcano, mountain range after mountain range, and lots of lakes, but no signs of human habitation.  We thought we saw signs of a deserted village.

 

 

It was exciting to get our first view of Katmai.

 

 

The pilot told us the grizzlies had begun going into the deep woods in preparation for hibernation, so he wasn’t sure we would see many.  But as our plane approached the area, we noticed one in the water and another on the shore.  We thought that looked encouraging.

 

 

This one was so involved in fishing for salmon that he was unfazed by the airplane or us.

 

 

The pilot assured us we were safe.

After going through a half-hour orientation in the ranger station, we were ready to walk with the bears – with the pilot as our guide.

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Do not take any food with you – not even gum or a lifesaver.  They do not want the bear to associate food with humans.  Walk fast, but never run if you come upon a bear.  When walking to Brooks Falls – keep talking, fairly loudly, so the bear know you are in the area.  If you come upon a bear, pick up any children you have with you.  If you hear a ranger yelling, “Follow me now!”  Pick up any children near you and walk quickly in the ranger’s direction.

 

 

This mother bear and her four young cubs were the subject of attention that summer, and we were delighted to see them.

 

 

A young male.

 

 

A mother and three cubs.  These were a bit older than the others.

We watched these bears from the safety of a platform.

 

 

The salmon were the subject of their attention.

 

 

Walking to Brooks Falls was beautiful, but it was also a bit unnerving because we knew there were about twenty bear in the area.

 

 

It was nice to be on a platform again.

 

 

There was only one bear at the falls, but it had been several days since they saw any there, so we were pleased to watch her fishing for salmon.

 

 

 

 

After she walked into the woods – almost under us – we headed back to the ranger station.

 

 

The mother of four was now in the beach area.

After they walked around the trees – on the water side – I asked the pilot if we could go to the beach so I could get photos of her paw prints in the sand.  He said, “Sure”.

 

 

About the time I snapped this picture, we heard the words, “Follow me now!” 

The mother and her cubs had come back (just to the left of the little bears on the previous picture) and wanted to be where we were.  We walked FAST, right past her, and continued a fast pace until we reached the platform.  I still get “goosebumps” when I remember how close she was to us – ten to twelve feet.

 

 

Because the mother was a bit disgruntled, it got the attention of other bear in the area, and a few more came out of the bushes.  This was the last one we watched.

When he was safely in the water, the pilot said, “It is time to go.”  In the picture, the bear is between us and the path to the plane.  The pilot said if he comes back and decides to lay down in the path, we could be there for hours, because you cannot disturb the bear in their natural habitat.

 

 

One hour later we were preparing to land in Homer.  It was an exciting day!

 

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Back to March 12, 2008, and the lively little guys who are staying with us this week.

 

They have figured out how to exercise – at the same time – on our Air Climber.

 

 

Following this routine, they watched a video, then went to bed – and that’s where I’m going very soon.